Papers by Kelsey Chappetta
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Apr 21, 2022
Today, it is not uncommon to meet someone and begin a romantic relationship online. Meeting on a ... more Today, it is not uncommon to meet someone and begin a romantic relationship online. Meeting on a dating website differs from meeting in person because a dating profile is created first that allows others to review potential romantic partners. Few studies have examined romantic attraction within an online dating context, and even fewer have examined how gender roles may influence attraction. The current study 1 (N ¼ 447, 49.4% female) examined the effects of gender role congruence and physical attractiveness on romantic interest in college students. Participants viewed online dating profiles that varied in their physical attractiveness and adherence to gender role norms. Results indicated that both men and women preferred attractive and gender role incongruent dating partners over average looking and gender role congruent. Contrary to previous research, women differentiated more between profiles based on physical attractiveness than the men, especially for gender role congruent profiles. Men were especially interested in attractive, gender role incongruent profiles. After physical attractiveness, gender role incongruence was the greatest factor that determined interest in a profile. Future research may need to consider how the potential seriousness of a relationship, as defined by the expected length of the relationship, influences how online profile characteristics affect attraction and interest.
Computers in Human Behavior, Oct 1, 2016
Today, it is not uncommon to meet someone and begin a romantic relationship on the internet. Meet... more Today, it is not uncommon to meet someone and begin a romantic relationship on the internet. Meeting on a dating website differs from meeting in person because a dating profile is created first that allows others to review potential romantic partners. Few studies have examined romantic attraction within an online dating context, and even fewer have examined how gender roles may influence attraction. Two studies were conducted. Study 1 (N = 447, 49.4% female) examined the effects of gender role congruence and physical attractiveness on romantic interest. Study 2 (N = 234, 100% female) examined if the effects of gender roles and physical attractiveness extended to changes in women's self-presentation. In both studies participants viewed online dating profiles that varied in their physical attractiveness and adherence to gender role norms. Study 1 results indicated that both men and women prefer attractive and gender role incongruent dating partners over average looking and gender role congruent. For Study 2, profile gender role congruence or incongruence did not appear to have an effect on women's selfpresentation; however, there was a significant increase in self-reports of masculine traits over the sessions disregarding profile gender role congruence. This may suggest that being in a dating situation could increase women's self-presentation of masculine traits. The results of these studies go against current major theories and demonstrate a need for these theories to be altered to accommodate for the way gender roles truly play a role in our society today. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS Cronbach's index of internal consistency df Degrees of freedom: number of values free to vary after certain restrictions have been placed on the data F Fisher's F ratio: A ration of two variances M Mean: the sum of a set of measurements divided by the number of measurements in the set N Total sample size p Partial Eta-squared p Probability associated with the occurrence under the null hypothesis of a value as extreme as or more extreme than the observed value r Pearson product-moment correlation t Computed value of t test < Less than
Sexuality and Culture, Jan 10, 2022
Gender Issues, Oct 6, 2018
Based upon social structural accounts of mate preferences and career interest, it is often sugges... more Based upon social structural accounts of mate preferences and career interest, it is often suggested that women avoid high status, traditionally masculine careers such as those in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) in favor of pursuing more traditionally feminine communal goals, or, alternatively, that women in STEM may have difficulty establishing and maintaining long-term romantic relationships, as their career choices are incongruent with gender role norms. A third possibility is that women in STEM fields may establish less traditionally stereotypical relationships with respect to values placed on careers and family and with respect to traits typically associated with one gender more than another. This study assessed the career and family values, as well as personality and cognitive traits, in 118 heterosexual romantic couples attending college, half including a woman in a STEM major and half including a woman in a female-dominated major (FDM). STEM couples revealed only limited gender differences all of which were counter to gender role stereotypes. FDM couples presented with a more traditional picture of a future in which the male partner was the breadwinner and the female more committed to her family role. Results suggest that women seeking careers in high status jobs may seek partners who share similar values and are more willing to set aside career success for the sake of the relationship.
University of Alabama Libraries, 2018
Gender Issues, 2018
Based upon social structural accounts of mate preferences and career interest, it is often sugges... more Based upon social structural accounts of mate preferences and career interest, it is often suggested that women avoid high status, traditionally masculine careers such as those in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) in favor of pursuing more traditionally feminine communal goals, or, alternatively, that women in STEM may have difficulty establishing and maintaining long-term romantic relationships, as their career choices are incongruent with gender role norms. A third possibility is that women in STEM fields may establish less traditionally stereotypical relationships with respect to values placed on careers and family and with respect to traits typically associated with one gender more than another. This study assessed the career and family values, as well as personality and cognitive traits, in 118 heterosexual romantic couples attending college, half including a woman in a STEM major and half including a woman in a female-dominated major (FDM). STEM couples revealed only limited gender differences all of which were counter to gender role stereotypes. FDM couples presented with a more traditional picture of a future in which the male partner was the breadwinner and the female more committed to her family role. Results suggest that women seeking careers in high status jobs may seek partners who share similar values and are more willing to set aside career success for the sake of the relationship.
Gender Issues, 2018
Based upon social structural accounts of mate preferences and career interest, it is often sugges... more Based upon social structural accounts of mate preferences and career interest, it is often suggested that women avoid high status, traditionally masculine careers such as those in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) in favor of pursuing more traditionally feminine communal goals, or, alternatively, that women in STEM may have difficulty establishing and maintaining long-term romantic relationships, as their career choices are incongruent with gender role norms. A third possibility is that women in STEM fields may establish less traditionally stereotypical relationships with respect to values placed on careers and family and with respect to traits typically associated with one gender more than another. This study assessed the career and family values, as well as personality and cognitive traits, in 118 heterosexual romantic couples attending college, half including a woman in a STEM major and half including a woman in a female-dominated major (FDM). STEM couples revealed only limited gender differences all of which were counter to gender role stereotypes. FDM couples presented with a more traditional picture of a future in which the male partner was the breadwinner and the female more committed to her family role. Results suggest that women seeking careers in high status jobs may seek partners who share similar values and are more willing to set aside career success for the sake of the relationship.
Gender Issues, 2018
Based upon social structural accounts of mate preferences and career interest, it is often sugges... more Based upon social structural accounts of mate preferences and career interest, it is often suggested that women avoid high status, traditionally masculine careers such as those in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) in favor of pursuing more traditionally feminine communal goals, or, alternatively, that women in STEM may have difficulty establishing and maintaining long-term romantic relationships, as their career choices are incongruent with gender role norms. A third possibility is that women in STEM fields may establish less traditionally stereotypical relationships with respect to values placed on careers and family and with respect to traits typically associated with one gender more than another. This study assessed the career and family values, as well as personality and cognitive traits, in 118 heterosexual romantic couples attending college, half including a woman in a STEM major and half including a woman in a female-dominated major (FDM). STEM couples revealed only limited gender differences all of which were counter to gender role stereotypes. FDM couples presented with a more traditional picture of a future in which the male partner was the breadwinner and the female more committed to her family role. Results suggest that women seeking careers in high status jobs may seek partners who share similar values and are more willing to set aside career success for the sake of the relationship.
Computers in Human Behavior, 2016
Today, it is not uncommon to meet someone and begin a romantic relationship on the internet. Meet... more Today, it is not uncommon to meet someone and begin a romantic relationship on the internet. Meeting on a dating website differs from meeting in person because a dating profile is created first that allows others to review potential romantic partners. Few studies have examined romantic attraction within an online dating context, and even fewer have examined how gender roles may influence attraction. Two studies were conducted. Study 1 (N = 447, 49.4% female)
Computers in Human Behavior, 2016
Today, it is not uncommon to meet someone and begin a romantic relationship on the internet. Meet... more Today, it is not uncommon to meet someone and begin a romantic relationship on the internet. Meeting on a dating website differs from meeting in person because a dating profile is created first that allows others to review potential romantic partners. Few studies have examined romantic attraction within an online dating context, and even fewer have examined how gender roles may influence attraction. Two studies were conducted. Study 1 (N = 447, 49.4% female) examined the effects of gender role congruence and physical attractiveness on romantic interest. Study 2 (N = 234, 100% female) examined if the effects of gender roles and physical attractiveness extended to changes in women's self-presentation. In both studies participants viewed online dating profiles that varied in their physical attractiveness and adherence to gender role norms. Study 1 results indicated that both men and women prefer attractive and gender role incongruent dating partners over average looking and gender role congruent. For Study 2, profile gender role congruence or incongruence did not appear to have an effect on women's selfpresentation; however, there was a significant increase in self-reports of masculine traits over the sessions disregarding profile gender role congruence. This may suggest that being in a dating situation could increase women's self-presentation of masculine traits. The results of these studies go against current major theories and demonstrate a need for these theories to be altered to accommodate for the way gender roles truly play a role in our society today. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS Cronbach's index of internal consistency df Degrees of freedom: number of values free to vary after certain restrictions have been placed on the data F Fisher's F ratio: A ration of two variances M Mean: the sum of a set of measurements divided by the number of measurements in the set N Total sample size p Partial Eta-squared p Probability associated with the occurrence under the null hypothesis of a value as extreme as or more extreme than the observed value r Pearson product-moment correlation t Computed value of t test < Less than
Sex Roles, 2016
It has been widely suggested that women are under-represented in STEM fields because careers in t... more It has been widely suggested that women are under-represented in STEM fields because careers in these fields are perceived as incompatible with other traditionally feminine roles and life goals such as helping others or maintaining a marriage and family. Although a number of studies of women in STEM have examined the importance of the communal goal of helping others, few studies have examined another communal goal, maintaining a romantic relationship. To address this gap, we designed a two-part study to explore the impact of romantic relationships on relationship and career goals of college STEM majors. First, a survey was conducted that examined the impact of relationship status on 713 male and 409 female college STEM majors’ life goals and gender roles (82 % White). Although results indicated gender differences in goals and roles related to family and careers, interaction effects with relationship status that would suggest unique negative impacts on women’s education or career goals were not found. Next, a subsample of 59 female STEM majors (81 % White) and their male romantic partners participated in a study examining their investments in and beliefs about careers, family, and the balance between the two. Findings suggest that successful female STEM majors may seek and find partners who are supportive of their educational and careers goals, as evidenced by the partners’ investment and expectations for relationship and work roles. Overall, findings indicate that a supportive romantic partner may be a positive determining factor for women’s success in STEM.
Information, Communication & Society, 2020
The research presented here examines gender roles and differential experiences of men and women a... more The research presented here examines gender roles and differential experiences of men and women associated with gaming, a multibillion-dollar industry (Entertainment Software Association, 2016). Using social role theory (Eagly, 1987) and role congruity theory (Diekman & Eagly, 2008) as theoretical frameworks, it is proposed that attitudes and beliefs related to traditional gender roles account for differences in the way that games are played and experienced by women compared to men. World of Warcraft (WoW), one of the most popular, best-selling computer games (Entertainment Software Association, 2016), was chosen to investigate gender roles in gaming. Using controlled observations of actual WoW gameplay, the current study (N = 229 observations) examined the amount of negative feedback player characters received from other online players based on the character's gender and role type. Findings indicated that female characters playing in masculine roles did not receive more negative feedback than comparable male characters in masculine roles, counter to role congruity theory. However, female characters in feminine roles received significantly less negative feedback than female characters in masculine roles. Together, these results suggest that stereotypical gender roles have an impact on gameplay and future research needs to examine the explanatory factors behind this.
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Papers by Kelsey Chappetta